The SNP Government has been blasted after it was revealed that the number of new secondary school teachers plummeted amid a schools crisis in Scotland. Almost 40 per cent of secondary teacher training places went unfilled last year as young people shunned careers in education. Recently published minutes from the Strategic Board for Teacher Education reveal “a downward trend in Secondary ITE [Initial Teacher Education]”, with the 2022 intake amounting to just 61 per cent of the target. Scottish Lib Dem education spokesperson Willie Rennie said that the government was "degrading" the teaching profession as just 1,506 students applied for secondary teaching qualifications, against a Scottish Government target of 2,336. “The Strategic Board for Teacher Education is considering issues around the recruitment to initial teacher education programmes and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including geographical and subject specific issues.

Source: Express October 11, 2023 14:27 UTC